OREM — A lawsuit that claimed Utah Valley State College student leaders violated school rules when they agreed to pay Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore some $50,000 to speak at the school in October was dismissed Friday.
Orem resident Kay Anderson, who filed the suit with UVSC student Dan Garcia, said he decided to drop the lawsuit when he learned Joe Vogel had resigned Thursday from his elected post as vice president of the college's student association.
Vogel was primarily responsible for bringing Moore to campus.
"I feel bad for Mr. Vogel — but clearly what we're seeing now is some accountability," Anderson said.
Fourth District Judge Guy Burningham, who dismissed the case, called the lawsuit "interesting" and encouraged UVSC student leaders to look at their own rules.
He urged student leaders to make meetings more public and devise ways for all students to have more input on how student-fee money is spent.
Bob Rasmussen, UVSC dean of students, said those changes are already being discussed.
According to Anderson and Garcia, Vogel and other student leaders violated the school's constitution when they agreed to pay Moore more than $50,000 — including travel expenses — to speak at UVSC's McKay Events Center.
School rules forbid the student government to "incur any single expense or liability in excess of $50,000" without meeting several requirements, including a majority vote by UVSC students.
But UVSC administrators contended that the total cost of Moore's visit represented several smaller fees, none of which exceeded $50,000.
Vogel is working on a book about the controversy the Moore visit generated, which is why he was asked to resign.
Vogel, an English major, said he's drafted about 80 pages and plans to finish his book next month. Moore's own publishing company, Reagan Books, has expressed interest in distributing the book, but no contract has been finalized.
Jim Bassi, president of UVSC's student association, asked Vogel to step down.
"I asked him to resign after an agreement could not be made concerning Vogel's responsibilities as an elected official versus those as a private citizen," Bassi said at a UVSC trustees meeting Thursday.
UVSC spokesman Derek Hall said that no administrators were involved in the decision.
Applications are being taken to fill Vogel's position.
"I don't regret my decisions," Vogel said. "It's been a hard semester — to have to resign, to endure personal attacks. I've lost friends. But my good friends have stood by me," he said.
Anderson said he was standing up for "moral values" when he filed the lawsuit. He said student leaders had disrespected the community by inviting someone who didn't share its values.
And even though the Moore controversy is over, Anderson vowed he won't stop monitoring the school's activities.
"I wake up every morning with my eye on UVSC," he said. "It's in my back yard."
Contributing: Laura Warner
E-mail: jhyde@desnews.com